Using Values to Lead Effectively

Have you ever found yourself saying, “But I never intended to upset you!”? Most of us have. People judge our behaviors – not our intentions. If your words and your actions are consistent with your principles and values, you will build trust. People will respect you and feel confident that they can rely on you.But for that to happen, you must understand and be able to articulate your values.

People: We believe people have potential.We believe people have the capacity for greatness.

Integrity: We require complete honesty and integrity in everything we do.

Service: We see each day as opportunity to serve our clients and each other. We embrace the principles of servant leadership.

Fun: Work is an important part of life and it should be fun.

Profitability: Our goal is to build a great and lasting organization.To meet our personal and professional goals, we must make money and generate cash.

Change: Like the samurai warrior, our motto is “Act Fearlessly.”

At PCI, we held a leadership training where we invited leadership expert Julie Dunn who helped our managers understand how to effectively communicate with their coworkers, because we know just having values is not enough. The key thing here is to behave in accordance with these values.

As President of PCI Drew Clancy said, “Values strengthen an organization and everyone who works with it. Values act as a lighthouse, attracting like-minded individuals to the organization and guiding them in the right direction.”

Because people cannot see your values, they can be easily misinterpreted, said Julie Dunn, training and development leader at PCI.

So in order to be an effective leader, the first step is to clarify and communicate your values. If your values are clear to your associates, you can trust for them to make the right decisions, and behave accordingly.